The Path Beyond Home
by Boby335
Summary: An adventure in the Johto Region for adventure's sake! Join Ben as he explores the Johto Region with his faithful Pokemon Berry the Teddiursa!


**I love the Johto region and Generation two games of the Pokemon series for a few reasons. One, Crystal was my first Pokemon game, and two, there were two regions to explore. It was a damn good game with some epic Pokemon! Now onto this story. I have spent the past month or so writing this chapter trying to make it as good as I can. I will not be going with the usual take down the entire Pokemon League storyline because I want to do something different.**

 **Entry I: The Path Beyond Home**

 _To Mom and Dad,_

 _I write this knowing that there is a chance I will die. I have known for quite some time that lying around in this town will do no good for me when everyone else has already left to start their lives. It's maddening to think I will never see the sights that others get to see in person such as the Safari Zone and the great mountains that wreath around our little region, and so I take my leave with Berry by my side._

 _Goodbye,  
Ben Grishom_

 _P.S.  
I will return one day to repay you for the three-thousand PokeDollars that I've borrowed from you guys._

Taking the note in hand Ben walked to the kitchen table and sat it down with next to no thought other than escape. Ben was quite a frail boy for his age that being sixteen, with little to no experience outside due to a childhood wrought with strife caused by overprotective parents. When Ben was young he had been attacked by a very furious Arbok that had invaded his neighborhood. It struck the poor preteen on the leg that left him comatose for two years due to the poison, he was lucky to have lived at all; the doctors had told his parents.

After he had awoken he had been whisked away to his house where his parents didn't let him go outside at all for near ten months. He couldn't even watch the battles between professional trainers on the television without his parents growing edgy. One day, after many weeks of pestering his parents, they had bought him a Pokemon. Of course that meant he had to obtain a license to own one, which presented a problem to the small family. After more pleading they had allowed Ben to take the test at the local Pokecenter. He passed easily enough and not even an hour later he was introduced to his very own Pokemon, Teddiursa. Teddiursa soon came to be named Berry, partially because it sounded cute and partially because this Pokemon adored berries.

Teddiursa had a somewhat normal reaction to the world, well as normal as a happy Teddiursa could have. He was curious and got into everything that he could. The boy and the bear were fast friends and inseparable from each other, but the time soon came when wanderlust took place in Ben's heart, but every time he brought it up it was either ignored or turned into a screaming match that left all three denizens hoarse.

Today however was different for today was the day that he would leave home without even speaking to his parents. During the day he secretly packed away clothes then when his parents had went to the store he made cold sandwiches and packed away water with his clothes, and finally he took it upon himself to raid his dad's wallet for as much cash as he could take, which turned out to be just three-thousand PokeDollars.

As night came upon the world Ben lay awake in his bed alongside Berry, "Berry, are you ready?" It was barely audible, but the Teddiursa heard it clearly.

Berry had a look determination plastered on his face, "Ursa!" They nodded to each other then leapt from their bed. Ben threw on a pair of jeans with a t-shirt and a sweatshirt over that then a pair of sneakers. Berry, on the other hand, had picked up a small bag from under the bed and threw it over his shoulder. Both nodded at each other then snuck through the murky house with only the sound of their own breathing and the creaks that came from the wooden floors.

The duo made it outside of the house without a problem and the two looked in awe at the lit up sky a mile away, Goldenrod City. Ben lived in a small suburb not far from the largest city in the Johto region. As a whole he had always dreamed of walking those busy streets and see all the different people that inhabited it.

He walked to the street cautiously trying to figure out which way he wanted to go. He could go towards the sprawling epicenter of people to the east or he could go into the ever reaching Ilex Forest to the west. If he wanted to travel he would have to at least have more Pokemon than just Berry, but to catch more would require Pokeballs, something he was severely lacking.

The cool midnight air gave an icy kiss to the duo, an east wind, "Guess our course is set, Berry!" Gripping his backpack he took a step down onto the street and down towards the edges of civilization to look into the deep dark of the forest. The wind gave life to the trees making the leaves dance in the night air. It gave the duo chills, not because of the cold, but because of the feeling of being watched. It was so subtle that one could pass it off as the unease one would feel of leaving home, but it lingered, "We won't get anywhere if we don't try, Berry!"

Berry nodded with a sense of steely determination washing over him. If this is the path that his trainer wished to take he would have to be strong in order to make sure he was safe, "Teddi!" Berry gripped his bag of berries all the tighter, readying for the journey to come.

Both took a step into the darkened woods.

The Ilex Forest was a large sprawling wood that kept pushing further north each year. It was so thick that almost no sunlight pierced the forest floor most of the year and the only known path was that of the river path that was cut next to Purity River. Purity River ran from Olivine City to Lake Purity at the center of Ilex Forest then onto the quaint town of Azalea Town. It was there that Strider wished to truly start off his journey for in that town lived the greatest Pokeball smith in all of Johto, Kurt.

Ben was not on that path, though. No, at the moment he was walking down one of the many trails made by the Pokemon that called the forest home. It was now around one in the morning, "I think we need to make camp." Ben was chilled to the bone he needed a fire going, or a warm bed, "Berry grab some sticks and I'll get a fire going."

Off the trail under an overgrown root that stretched out, making a small hole big enough to house three grown men. Using his flashlight Strider cleared the ground of leaves then dug out a small pit in the ground. Digging around his backpack he found a small lighter and his sleeping bag for the night. Strider shined his light around the area and caught sight of the tree he was under. To his amazement this tree had to be hundreds of years old as it stood taller than most trees surrounding him. The roots dug deep into the ground feeding the tree while up in high branches a flock of nesting Pidgeotto were resting for the night with a few holes dotting the thick, gnarled bark where Noctowl had raised their Hoothoot chicks over many generations. Below on the opposite side sat a burrow for a very curious Furret with three Sentret kits. Surrounding the tree a troop of Oddish were meandering about the roots enjoying the night air.

Yes this tree was truly a sight to behold for it fostered more lives here than a regular tree would. Yes this tree truly was a sight to behold, and it made the small boy feel safe, as safe as you could get within Ilex Forest. Ben grew restless as the minutes passed wore on and no sign of Berry was seen or heard of. Finally he heard the crunching of leaves and found the familiar sight of his Teddiursa carrying his bag of berries in his teeth, a pile of branches in his arms, and on top of that pile Berry was balancing a small orb that Ben easily recognized as a Pokeball, "Where did you come across this?"

Berry went into a tirade that involved picking up sticks talking to an Oddish then finding this Pokeball on the ground a few yards away. This made it possible for Ben to catch a new friend, but what did he want? That was a question every trainer had to ask themselves when they started. It didn't matter at the moment; however, as it was time to get a roaring fire going.

Teddiursa tossed the twigs and sticks into the put while Ben put a rolled up piece of paper under the twigs and lit it. The pit of twigs soon gave way to a small inferno. It warmed the duo and lit up the area giving off the visage of a home under the root. The boy laid out his sleeping bag a little ways from the fire. As for Berry he put his bag of berries near Ben's backpack then lay down against his trainer's feet. Sleep soon took over two.

The heavy crunch of leaves startled the boy awake. Sleep was still in his eyes as he focused in on the sound of a something moving, but all he could make out was a blur. The boy rubbed his eyes to see that Berry was wandering around. Rousing himself from the confines of his sleeping bag he found the smoldering ashes of the fire that lit up the hole last night along with something very interesting.

Next to the fire sat a wrapped sandwich with a small note on it. It was almost scary how he never heard anyone come into his camp, he must have been much more tired than he realized. Taking the note he read it aloud, " _'Thanks for the fire, kid. For the trouble here's a sandwich as payment! Remember the code!'_ ," A cheesy grin crept up onto Ben's face. He'd been recognized as a trainer!

There was a sort unspoken code, although it was spoken of quite enough, for those that set out into the world to train Pokemon. No one really knew where the code started, but it caught on like fire through a match shop with many trainers adopting this code and adapting to the rules. If you were alone and you had a fire going another trainer might see it, rest for it then leave something in return as a sort of payment, it was mainly food. It kept order among the chaos of nature and set a sort of bond between all trainers great and small.

"Ursa!" Berry cheered for his trainer then dug into his sack and pulled out an Oran Berry. Today was a new day for the duo as they were now in the forest headed to Azalea Town. Unwrapping the bag around the sandwich the young trainer began munching on the sandwich preparing for the day. He slid his shoes on then sat down against the cool dirt under the shade of the root trying to figure out which direction he should go in.

Finishing up his breakfast along with packing up the sleeping bag didn't take long at all for the teen, "Berry, do you want me to carry your bag of berries?" Berry looked a little off put by the idea, but handed his trainer his bag. Climbing up the small incline Ben could finally see the forest properly, and it made a feeling of amazement well up inside him.

The forest floor was shadowed over the canopy of leaves above him, however the rays of light that did shine down showed Ben the sheer greenness of the area. It made him wonder how this forest ever gave way to civilization. On another note the boy could hear the passive cries of Pokemon it made him wonder which one of those amazing creatures he wanted to catch. It was always a wonder of what to catch. Some trainers spent their whole careers searching for certain Pokemon while others caught as many as they could then stitch a team together through variety. As for Ben he didn't really have a plan at all.

He would catch any Pokemon he found interesting maybe that would be today or it might be weeks from now. It all mattered what would happen on this adventure, what was the point of planning things on such a journey anyways?

Trotting along a path with no seeming end was quite a good start to an adventure. Ben and Teddiursa just kept moving for one step in front of the other all the while getting used to the fresh air of the forest. He was almost always stuck inside with only the dead air that came from being stuck inside the house. Ben was now able to feel the sun warm his skin and the shadows of the trees cool his body. The feelings of the world was freeing to the boy.

The boy was now on a path to a life changing adventure that wouldn't necessarily change the world, but would change the boy.


End file.
